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Food & Recipes

Mayo Is the Secret to the Creamiest Mac and Cheese Ever

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Mac and cheese with mayo? It may not sound appetizing at first, but we guarantee it’ll give your dish a tangy creaminess that perfectly cuts through savory cheeses for a balanced bite. Even your friends and family who detest mayo will be going back for seconds — and thirds. 

Pasta and cheese is such a classic combination that we bet you already have a family recipe that’s been passed down from generation. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? But one bite of mac and cheese with mayo may be enough to convince you that it’s time to change things up. 

The reason mac and cheese with mayo works is because the acid in mayo prevents the dish from ever being too cheesy. Yes, “too cheesy” is a thing, hear us out. Every time you take a bite of your steaming hot mac and cheese, you want to enjoy the delicate mix of flavors. When one note overpowers the others, your bites eventually begin to taste the same. Adding a dollop of mayo to your sauce adds a tasty layer to the dish and prevents the cheese from cancelling out all the other ingredients. 

“Don’t knock it till you try it. Everyone I make it for loves it and [is] surprised when I tell them my secret is mayo,” Sheila M. wrote

Finding the best mac and cheese with mayo recipe all comes down to experimenting, but a ratio of one cup of mayo for every eight ounces of pasta is a good place to start. Some recipes recommend adding sour cream to the mix; if you try this flavor combination, you will need to reduce the amount of mayo to prevent the dish from tasting too sour. 

We don’t recommend telling revealing the secret ingredient until after everyone’s taken a bite. This way, even the most staunchly anti-mayo eater will give the dish a chance before giving their opinion. (We have a feeling they’re going to love it!)

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